by Rosanna Leo
Trying not to concentrate on his sun-kissed looks, she focused on the facts. “Okay. So who are the Alpha Brethren and why do they have it in for you and your brothers?”
Killian aimed yet another nervous look at Ryland. What were they hiding? Janine had hidden things too. Frankly, she was growing tired of being out of the loop. If Janine had been honest with her, maybe she could have saved her. Now, more than anything, she needed Killian to be honest with her.
“You wouldn’t understand.”
Seriously? “Try me. Maybe I’ll surprise you.”
His pointed look revealed his complete disdain at her response. “I’m not trying to patronize you, but there are things you just can’t comprehend here.”
“Hmm. For someone who isn’t trying to patronize me, you sure are succeeding.”
“Ms. Suzuki…” said Killian, his voice lowered in a warning that drew her in, more than scaring her away.
“Mr. Moon, let me explain something about myself to you. When it comes to the people I love, I can be extremely stubborn.”
His eyes narrowed, as if he admired the trait, as much as it frustrated him at the moment.
“I’ve come all this way,” she continued, “to find you for answers. Janine sent me to you for answers. And let me just tell you, in case you didn’t know, this place is hard to find.” She turned to Ryland. “I hate to break it to you, but for a tourist resort, you need more advertising. I don’t know who does your marketing, Mr. Snow, but you need to fire his sorry ass. The Ursa Lodge isn’t in any tourism books. I can’t find a website anywhere. How do your guests find you?”
Ryland bit his lip. “Word of mouth, mostly. We don’t really want to be overrun by tourists.”
That made no sense. A resort owner who didn’t want tourists? She threw up her hands. “Okay.” Turning back to Killian, she plowed ahead. “Now, are you going to tell me about this Alpha Brethren, or are we going to sit here some more?”
He scratched his head and then he rubbed his hands up and down his huge thighs, as if unsure what to do with his hands.
“Please,” she persisted. “Give me something. Anything.”
“You wouldn’t believe me anyway.”
“How do you know?”
“Look, I’m not really sure I can reveal much,” he murmured. He stood and began to pace.
“Oh, really?” she said on a bitter laugh. “Well, guess what? I’m not going anywhere until you do.” She turned to Ryland. “Mr. Snow, your resort is open for business, right? Despite not wanting any tourists.”
He grimaced. “It’s Ryland. And, uh, yeah.”
“Great.” She sat up straight. “I’d like to book a room, please. With an indefinite stay. Non-smoking, away from the elevator, if you have it.” She smiled.
The two men gawked at her, but it was Killian who responded. “You can’t stay here.”
“Is it all booked up?”
“No,” Ryland confessed.
“It’s just,” Killian stammered. “The Ursa Resort caters to a specific clientele.”
She gawked at him. “Oh, and I don’t fit the bill, huh?”
He made a face, turned to Ryland and growled.
Wait. Did that boy just growl?
Ryland’s eyes widened. “You need to tell her. Now.”
“Tell me what?”
“Jesus,” Killian spat, turning the full power of those green-gold eyes on her. He let out a few deep breaths, clearly deciding on words which wouldn’t offend her.
“Oh, I can take it. I’m a big girl. Just spit it out, for God’s sake.”
He laughed in skepticism and rolled his eyes.
Ryland got up from his desk. “I’ll give you two some privacy.” He walked to the door. “By the way, Nina. You are more than welcome to stay here at the Ursa as long as you want. And something tells me you might need to, so I’ll prepare a room for you.” With a tight grin, he left.
“At least he’s seen the light,” she couldn’t resist adding when he’d closed the door. “So why am I not the right clientele for this resort? Are you guys nudists? Because if that’s what it takes to get info from you, I’ll drop my drawers.”
His eyes bugged to such an extent, she worried he’d pop a blood vessel. He then did this queer thing where he swallowed hard, as if trying to get moisture into his trachea.
“Fine, let’s start with an easier question. Who are the Alpha Brethren and did they cause my friend to take her own life?”
He sat, shook out his arms and stretched, as if all his muscles hurt. “Did you ever notice anything…odd about Janine?”
“No. Like I said, she was a bit distant at the end but she was a great person. Energetic and happy. In school, she was a star athlete. No one could catch her on the track. But she was humble, too, and always fun to be around. She’d never had a lot of boyfriends growing up, so I was really happy when she found Dirk. They were already talking marriage.”
Killian nodded, as if it all made sense to him. “And she always…looked the same? I know this might sound like a strange question, but her appearance never changed?”
His words threw her back to the day she found Janine hanging from the fan. With startling clarity, she remembered seeing her friend turn into a massive brown wolf. She recalled each hair on her powerful legs, could see each canine muscle as it twitched. Sharp teeth and claws and eyes that saw so much.
No, what you saw was wrong. You made it up.
She’d determined she’d fabricated the weird vision. After all, Nina spent her days grooming dogs. She’d seen numerous wolf-like canines in her shop. No doubt, the stress of seeing her friend die had induced some sort of insane, work-related mirage.
I’ve kept a big secret from you.
Hogwash, as her grandmother used to say. The wolf was imaginary and Janine’s secret must have been her troubles at the bank. Eager to file away the memory of the hanging animal, she tried to ignore it. “Janine has always looked the same. Perfectly normal. Like any woman.”
“You’re lying.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Oh, yes, you are.” He dragged his chair closer to hers. “You see, Nina, I have a few interesting talents. Among them is the ability to sniff out lies. When you fib, your heart starts pumping faster and the scent of your blood fills my head. I can hear your pulse and I can almost taste the trickle of nervous sweat gliding between your shoulder blades.”
She reached around and pretended to scratch her back, in an attempt to swipe at that trickle. “What are you? Some kind of human lie detector? A cop?”
“No,” he replied in a deep, calm voice. “I’m not human at all. I’m a shape shifter, and so was your friend.”
Just as she was about to ridicule the notion, Killian Moon blinked hard and leaned toward her. His handsome face distorted and seemed to sprout long whiskers. His golden waves retracted into his skull, only to be replaced with a rich orange coat, dotted with black spots. From between his lips, she spied fierce teeth, the type to inspire nightmares.
“Dear Lord,” she cried, leaning back in her chair. “A fucking leopard!”
He uttered a hoarse barking cough and turned back into Killian, the man. Was he a man? Oh, Jesus…
“I’m not a leopard,” he said with disgust, as if she should know better. “I’m a jaguar. A jaguar shifter. Jags are heavier than leopards, and sturdier, although the rosettes on our coats are similar. People confuse us all the time, but jaguars are much more powerful.”
She didn’t stick around to listen to the crazy man catalog the differences between jaguars and leopards. It was time to go home and forget she’d ever seen Janine turn into a doggie, and forget Killian Moon had fucking rosettes on his back. She raced to the door.
He reached it before she ever did, holding it shut. Whoa. She’d only ever seen one other person move so quickly and that was Janine. Bile filled her throat but she choked it back. “Let me out.”
“
I won’t hurt you.”
“Damn straight. Let me out or I’ll scream.” She took a breath.
He put out a hand. “Nina, everyone out there is just like me. Ryland. His wife. Our friends. All shape shifters. The Ursa Lodge is a shape shifter resort. Now do you really want to run out there, screaming your head off?”
Ryland, too? That nice man? “Ryland is a leopard?”
He grunted. “I’m a jaguar. And no, Ry is actually a bear.”
She stared at him. “A bear.” She nodded slowly and began to mumble. “I’m in a bear’s office with a jaguar who has rosettes on his coat and my best friend in the world was a wolf.”
“That’s about the size of it.” He reached out and she flinched. She looked at his hand, entranced by its size and his measured movements. Killian had the deadly, stealthy aspect of an avalanche. You didn’t see him coming until he overtook you. By then, it was too late to fight back. By then, you were already grasping for air. Even as she waited for the death strike, he surprised her and cupped her cheek, softly stroking. “I won’t hurt you and I know it’s a lot to absorb. Look, Janine hid this from you for a reason. We exist with humans, but we try to keep our existence on the down-low. In sharing this with you, I’m trusting you’ll keep our secret. Our lives depend on it. Our children depend on it. There are whole communities at stake, Nina. The people at the Ursa are just one of them.” He gaze dropped to her lips and he licked his own. “Now, if I move away from the door, do you promise not to scream or run away? I’ll answer all your questions.”
“I’m seeing things, that’s all. It’s been really stressful.”
“Of course, but you’re not seeing things.”
“This isn’t real. It’s a trick, an optical illusion. Just like when I saw Janine as a wolf…”
“So you did see her as her inner animal.” His voice rose with each triumphant word and the knowledge made his eyes sparkle.
“No.” She gave her head a furious shake, her eyes burning because he saw into her so easily. “I mean, I saw something, but not…this.” She waved her hands at him. “You’re a magician, aren’t you?”
“Do I look like Harry fucking Houdini?” He sighed. “Nina, trust your senses. Trust your instincts. Think back to your times with Janine. The clues had to be there.”
As a thousand anomalies about Janine suddenly became clear, Nina did her best to remain calm. She remembered some of Janine’s behaviors, things she’d chalked up to personality quirks. She used to get angry at strange times and would distance herself when she did, as if Nina could never understand her feelings. She used to complain about her “wacky hormones” a lot, although at her age she shouldn’t have been suffering from hormone problems. And she’d been really interested in wolves and animals in general, to the point of hoarding tons of books on the subject.
Quirks aside, Janine was her friend, loyal to the end.
Nina didn’t understand how people like Killian could be man and animal at once, and as much as she wanted to disappear to her bedroom and hide with her pillow, she also wanted to know who made her friend want to die. Janine had sent her here for a purpose. She’d wanted her to meet Killian.
And God dammit if she wouldn’t fulfill her friend’s last request.
“I have a question,” she whispered.
“Shoot.”
“Who do I have to sleep with to get a drink in this place?”
She didn’t miss how he paled. However, he quickly recovered and smiled. As he did, she felt her nerves float away.
Well, some of them anyway. The nerves that reminded her she was a woman and he was, well, sort of a man, remained in place for a good long time.
* * * *
Killian walked Nina to the resort pub, his hand resting lightly on her elbow so she didn’t bolt. As his miffed jaguar, huffing at being mistaken for a leopard, tested its bonds, he concentrated on the feel of her skin. Every so often, he allowed himself a small stroke, circling his fingers around her funny bone. Amazed, he wondered he could get so turned on by a human elbow.
She’s human. What are you doing?
We like her elbow. Keep touching, his jaguar warned.
Being evening, the pub was, of course, rocking. Wishing she didn’t need a drink so badly so he could take her somewhere quiet, he steered her toward a booth in back. Her eyes, large and haunted, darted everywhere. Her breath caught every time someone passed by. And because she was so clearly human, everyone gave her a second look. Thankfully, because she was with Killian, however, no one paid them too much notice.
“All these people?” she whispered, leaning into him.
“Yup. Every last one. See the guy in the Facilities uniform? That’s Jack. He’s an eagle shifter. Oh, and the bartender is a bear, like Ryland. That woman over there with the blond hair? She’s pretty cool. She’s a snowy owl and can do that thing where her head turns around, like Linda Blair. Plus, she keeps the mice away.” He laughed at his own joke, noticing she didn’t seem to share in his humor. “Just kidding. We don’t have a mouse problem. With a resort full of hungry shifters, they tend to steer clear.”
“Oh, my God.” Her dark skin turned a fascinating green color. “Please tell me you don’t eat mice…or people.”
He directed her to a booth, sat her down, and put his hands on her shoulders. Looking her in the eye, he said, “I swear we do not eat mice or people. I promise. Give me a steak anytime. Besides,” he said, grinning, “humans are really gristly.”
Laughter exploded from her like shots from a machine gun. He was fairly sure it was a mania-induced giggle, and that she might burst into tears again at any moment, but it was a giggle. He’d take it.
“Now,” he said, scooting in next to her, breathing in her intoxicating perfume. “What drink would make you forget your problems best?”
“I don’t know. Nothing.” She shook her head, staring at her lap. After a second, her head popped up. “Wait. I’ll take a Grasshopper, please.
“A Grasshopper? That is absolutely disgusting, more disgusting than chomping on humans. But I will get one for you.”
“Are you making fun of my cocktail, leopard man?”
He narrowed his eyes at her, glad she found the strength to be a bit playful with him. “If I knew you better, I might put you over my knee for that one.” Hell, he’d enjoy it.
“I have no doubt,” she whispered, her mind clearly straying into crazy territory again. Her eyes widened as a woman passed their table and she mumbled something.
Okay, maybe now wasn’t the time to muse about palming her luscious ass. He needed that drink for her, right now, and a double for himself.
As she observed the pub patrons, he tried to flag down one of the bartenders. Seeing the staff was busy, he figured it would be quicker if he headed to the bar instead. “If I leave you for a second, will you be okay?”
“Yeah,” she said quietly, blushing. She nodded, as if to convince herself. “I’ll be fine.”
Killian believed her. He sensed something intrinsically strong in Nina Suzuki. Even though her world had upended, she had the presence of mind to continue. Something in her character smacked of bravery. It made him strangely proud.
He headed to the bar and placed his order with the bartender, turning away from Nina for a couple of minutes. Toby, the friendly barkeep, claimed he hadn’t served a Grasshopper in years and wanted to regale Killian with the story of the first customer who’d ordered it from him. Trying to be polite, Killian nodded, but really just wanted to get back to Nina. As Toby wrapped up his tale and handed him the Grasshopper and his beer, Killian smiled and backed away slowly. As soon as Toby turned to the next customer, he spun around.
As he trained his gaze on their booth, he saw one of the dudes from reception, leaning into Nina. Chatting her up. Ogling her spectacular cleavage.
Angus. A notorious womanizer and fellow jaguar.
A jealous streak of fire shot into his brain. Killian’s great ca
t let out a fearsome roar only he could hear, wanting to indulge in the sort of aggressive behavior sometimes utilized by jaguars in the wild. Male jags had no problem displaying their dominance while fighting over a female, and the stronger male always prevailed. As a species, jaguars did not tolerate interlopers.
Get rid of him, it urged, once again uttering the guttural, stuttering roar common to his kind.
Before he knew what he was doing, he raced back to the booth and placed their drinks on the table. Even as he sought to calm his raging cat, the beast drove him on. He demanded of Nina, “Is he bothering you?”
“No.” Her smile might look polite, but her wide eyes declared she wasn’t ready to have an aggressive jaguar shifter flirt with her. She held up a glass of pink champagne. “Angus just introduced himself and brought me some bubbly, but I told him I get a little silly on champagne.”
Angus’s smarmy smile indicated he’d very much hoped to get her silly.
“Is that so?” He stared at her, as heat swarmed his extremities, trying very hard not to visualize Nina tipsy. Stumbling and tumbling out of her clothes…
Stop it!
As the image made his cock explode to life, he turned to Angus and let out a low growl he knew another jaguar would understand. The growl said Go away. Now.
“Hey, man,” Angus said after a moment, unapologetic, holding up his hands. “She’s unmarked.” His gesture might have been meant to placate, but a challenge danced in his eyes.
Angus wanted her. He could see it, could smell it on him.
If he didn’t do something about it, his jaguar would take over and thrash the other shifter. Already, Killian could feel the stabbing pain of a million tiny hairs as they threatened to burst from his pores. He could feel his teeth lengthening.
